Ivory, Egyptian (Cairo), middle of the 14th century

Ivory box, Egyptian (Cairo), middle of the 14th century

Purchased for £7 in 1856 from the collection of Major Rohde Hawkins (1821-1884). The box is said to have been acquired by him in Naples.

This piece displays the closeness of the interchange between Mamluk and Nasrid art.

This box is almost identical to a piece formerly in the Rothschild Collection, whose inscription bears the names and titles of the Mamluk Sultan Salih, who reigned between 1351 and 1354.

While traditionally attributed to Mamluk Cairo, it is possible that it is infact an example of Nasrid ivory production. The stylistic elements apply to both Mamluk and Nasrid art. In addition, the style and content of the poetry is not very Mamluk, and there are no other known examples of ivory objects made for the Mamluks, who tended to use ivory in inlay or as carved elements in marquetry. There is however, a long tradition of ivory carving in al-Andalus. Al-Salih's dates coincide with the reign of Yusuf I - it is possible that Yusuf commissioned this casket as a gift for the new Mamluk sultan. (M. Rosser-Owen, 2010).

4139-1856